Cork still searching for a ruthless edge despite Meath win

Meath had been ending games with a flourish too but here they were overrun by Cork who contributed eight of the last nine points

Mon, 18 Mar, 2024 - 08:05

John Fogarty, Navan

Allianz FL Division 2: MEATH 1-11 CORK 1-15

John Cleary looks at his glass and still sees it as half-empty as it is half-full.

Reports of Cork’s demise have proven to be exaggerated and after a third consecutive win they have retained their Division 2 status. Nevertheless, promotion had been the objective in January and passage to the Sam Maguire Cup remains uncertain.

As resounding as Cork’s finish was in Navan, seven unanswered points pushing them ahead of Meath in the league standings, there was a troubling theme of not sticking goal opportunities.

Conor Corbett’s fifth minute goal suggested things were going to be different but three other openings went abegging, meaning the team’s conversion rate for the competition this year reads a paltry 25%.

Cleary knows that lack of ruthlessness/composure/whatever-you-want-to-call-it won’t do if Cork are to return to Division 1 for the first time since 2016. It’s that which separates his team from the elite, he feels.

“I suppose the big difference there is that most times they take the majority of their scores. I think we had, in the league up to today, 20 goal chances and we scored five. That won't do to get up to the next level.

“We're creating the chances but the opposition had 12 goal chances and scored six. And that's why it was great to see Conor Corbett (score) when he got his chance. But we had two or three other chances as well and I feel that if this group is to progress, when you are on top, you've got to nail it home.”

On the plus side, Cork finished powerfully for the third successive outing. When Mathew Costello rose above Daniel O’Mahony to capture a Shane Walsh diagonal ball and net it in the 55th minute to put Meath three points up, the visitors were in a spot of bother. Costello had done similar against O’Mahony seconds earlier to send over an equalising point.

Meath had been ending games with a flourish too but here they were overrun by Cork who contributed eight of the last nine points. Taking off Ruairí Deane with five minutes of normal time left having brought him on earlier in the second half, Cleary had played his part too.

“I was thinking to myself on the line when we were three down that we didn’t deserve to be in that position, but a lot of it was our own fault because we had some poor turnovers in the attacking side and Meath came down and punished us and the ultimate was the goal.

'We still need something against Armagh,' says Cork manager John Cleary

“I still felt at that stage we weren’t out of the game if we kept our heads and kept our composure, because we were hurting them, particularly Conor Corbett at full-forward there, he was a menace all day to them. Our two wing-backs Mattie Taylor and Luke Fahy drove on there and drove the side forward particularly midway through the second half. We didn’t panic, we showed the bit of composure.

“We had some close games against Cavan and Louth and we didn’t get over the line and I think we’ve learned a good bit from that. When the game is in the melting pot, the better teams get over the line and see it out and hopefully we’re getting to the stage where we’re doing that now.”

Cork had been the better team in the opening half but were reeled in by the break, the scoreline reading 0-7 to 1-4. It had been a half diseased with misplaced passes and poor basic skill execution but Cork had enjoyed more of the goal openings, Brian Hurley having been blocked by Donal Keoghan.

Through Corbett, Cork started the second half promisingly but a gilt-edged goal chance was denied by Daithí McGowan’s last-gasp clearance and they were never able to put enough daylight between them and Meath and Costello’s goal was a punishment for such.

However, their conclusion was utterly convincing. Fahy angled over a brace of points and Corbett’s second point levelled the game in the 65th minute. Sherlock, Mattie Taylor and Mark Cronin heaped on the points and the turnaround was complete.

Meath manager Colm O’Rourke was asked if the county’s qualification for the Sam Maguire Cup as Tailteann Cup champions may have blunted their edge in the closing stages.

“I hope not. I always say a fella plays county football at this level the most important motivating factor should be pride in your own performance and I wouldn’t like to think anyone would allow something like that to get in the way. If you are not driven at county level then you have no place there.”

Cork still don’t have the luxury of knowing they will be in the top 16 hence Cleary’s insistence that they are likely to need something against promoted Armagh next Saturday.

“I was talking to Colm O’Rourke there and sixth (position) didn’t do them last year and they were out of it, so we still need something out of the last game to be sure to be above sixth. Fifth will probably take you there but until it’s signed, sealed and delivered we won’t take anything for granted.”

Scorers for Meath: M. Costello (1-2, 0-1 free); E. Frayne (1 free), S. Brennan (all 45s) (0-3 each); R. Kinsella (0-2); S. Walsh (0-1).

Scorers for Cork: C. Corbett (1-3); S. Sherlock (0-3, 1 free); B. Hurley, L. Fahy (0-2 each); C. Jones, B. O’Driscoll, S. Powter, M. Taylor, M. Cronin (0-1 each).

MEATH: S. Brennan; D. Keogan, A. O’Neill, B. O’Halloran; C. Caulfield, D. Campion, S. Coffey; C. McBride, D. McGowan, M. Costello (c), J. O’Connor; R. Kinsella, S. Walsh, E. Frayne.

Subs for Meath: M. Murphy for D. Campion (inj 27); D. Dixon for J. O’Connor (inj 50); A. Mac Dónaill for R. Kinsella (56); D. Moriarty for C. McBride (70); K. Curtis for D. McGowan (temp 70+1-ft); H. O’Higgins for C. Caulfield (70+2).

CORK: C. Kelly; K. Flahive, D. O’Mahony, T. Walsh; L. Fahy, S, Meehan, M. Taylor; I. Maguire, C. O’Callaghan; P. Walsh, S. Powter, B. O’Driscoll; C. Jones, C. Corbett, B. Hurley (c).

Subs for Cork: R. Deane for P. Walsh (44); S. Sherlock for B. Hurley (48); M. Cronin for C. Jones, K. O’Hanlon for B. O’Driscoll (both 55); E. McSweeney for R. Deane (65).

Referee: T. Murphy (Galway).